April 11, 2008
So I've been teasing you with a bit o' good news for awhile now, and I can at last share one thing. There is more to come, so stay tuned.
This week's good news is that a German publisher has bought the first three Gardella books and so they will be released in Germany in the next year or so. I don't have any other details at this time–it was a quick email from my agent, who is in London for the Spring Book Fair–but yay! If I knew how to say yippee in German, I would! (Anyone? Bueller? Jan???)
And since it's Friday, that means it's time to 'fess up!
Since Earth Day is coming upon us shortly, put on your Green Hats and 'fess up about what you do or don't do to help the environment.
Today's topic is: recycling.
I must say, I am the Recycle Queen. For a family of five, we have very little garbage because I recycle everything I can, even stuff that our waste removal people don't pick up (we take it to a recycle center once every few months or so–like when the pile of pizza boxes in the garage gets out of control).
Each week, we roll our big garbage cart down to the road for pickup and it's usually barely half full. For a family of five!
Now it's your turn. 'Fess up, now! How often do you…
…recycle takeout boxes from restaurants?
…compost?
…recycle cereal, prepared food, pizza, tissue, etc., boxes?
…clean out your cans and remove labels when you recycle?
The second installment of the Gardella Vampire Chronicles takes Victoria to Venice and Rome.
My novel, 
April 11th, 2008 at 10:20 am
My cousin’s husband says: “aus gezeichnit”…it means outstanding!
April 11th, 2008 at 10:25 am
I’m not the queen of recycling…but I think I could be a princess, maybe!
I try to recycle everything that I can - though I must admit that I hate peanut butter jars!!! 
All our soda cans at work go to a coworker to take to the recycling center for money(her husband is in kidney failure) and it is just a small way that we try to help out. I bring my water bottles home from work instead of throwing them in the garbage and nag everyone at work(and I still have to remind at home too) not to put recyclables in the garbage! 
Great news about your books releasing in Germany - that’s fantastic!!!
April 11th, 2008 at 11:22 am
*MK polishing halo*
Wellllll, I actually work for an environmental organization (Defenders of Wildlife), so, I kinda have to walk to walk. We do pretty well at home (my roomie works at it, I’m probably a little better at it than she is). But I take the train to work so I don’t have to drive. And the biggest thing that I think a lot of people don’t think of is, I have a neoprene bottle that I fill with water, rather than buying bottled water.
Congrats on the German release! That’s great news that more folks will get to enjoy the Gardellas!
April 11th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
I do my pop cans, and that is it. I get paid for that, so it makes it worth the doing.
Of course, I don’t go out of my way to pollute, either, and I have a compost heap so my organic trash doesn’t go into the landfill, and I burn my cardboard trash. Of course, that probably pollutes the atmosphere, but I have a garden and that makes oxygen and gives worms something to do, so I think it all evens out.
April 11th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
I can pat myself on the back and say I’m pretty good at those things. But my province has an excellent recycling/compost program. It’s been going for about 10 years now. I think it’s made people who wouldn’t ordinarily recycle do it- grudgingly.
April 11th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
We are spolied. In Mesa, Az every wed. they pick up our recycle just like a trash day. We don’t have to take off the labels, clean it out, or separate it. It all goes in the same bin and they pick it up. I use the recycle more than the trash!! I am not sure I would do it if it wasn’t so easy! When I visit someone from another state, I am always looking for their recycle to put my stuff in and am shocked that they don’t have one!
April 11th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
I think it’s easier to do recycling when you live in or near a big city. Here in the boondocks, they don’t appear to understand the concept. I always buy recycled paper, though, and we’re replacing our lightbulbs wiht compact flourescents as the old ones burn out.
April 11th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
I have to admit that I’m in a similar position to MK…I have to walk the walk. I’m an Environmental Educator, and my job (at least until Tuesday, when I go on maternity leave!) is to teach the people in my community about recycling, composting, water conservation, climate change, energy usage, etc.
We’re pretty lucky in our community, we can recycle pretty much everything except #3 and #6 plastics (PVC and Polystyrene/Styrofoam). I live in a condo strata, so I don’t have a compost, but I do have an organics pick up program….which means we have almost ZERO garbage. It’s great!
Congrats on the German releases - and kudos for bringing up Earth Day on your blog
April 11th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
…recycle takeout boxes from restaurants?
We don’t have many of these but we have recycled some in the past.
…compost?
Yes. It takes up about 1/4 of my balcony.
…recycle cereal, prepared food, pizza, tissue, etc., boxes?
I reuse the cardboard for use in shipping packages.
…clean out your cans and remove labels when you recycle?
Clean out, yes. Remove the labels, not usually. Although most recently I’ve been keeping the empties to use for storage in my house.
April 12th, 2008 at 7:24 am
Well, since the titles of “Queen” and “Princess” of recycling are already taken, I’ll take the one of “Great Chamberlain of Recycle”
We recycle almost everything we can: newspapers, cardboard boxes of pizza, cans of cat food, bottles, tins, you name them. We also have those special lightbulbs who should last a lifetime and use half the energy of the other ones. And I’m trying to get those special taps that save water from the WWF shop. Now, if only we could find a way to recycle our cats’s hair… 
April 12th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Congrats on selling to Germany, Colleen!! Can’t wait to hear more good news.
As for recycling, We recycle paper, plastic and the occasional soda cans (we don’t drink a lot of soda).
April 12th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
GROSSARTIG FANTASTISCH HERRLICH WUNDERBAR
This is great news, Colleen! I’m so happy for you and can’t wait to read your books in german.
As for the recycling, we have different bins (paper, plastic, compost, glass etc.) in Germany since … well, since I can remember.
April 12th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
I forgot: YIPPEE probably translates best as JUCHU or HURRA
April 12th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
I put my pizza boxes, plastic bottles, cans (didn’t know I was supposed to remove the labels…oops), glass bottles, plastic food containers, all cereal and cereal like boxes, and junk mail in my rolling recycle bin.
I also buy energy efficient bulbs. But my yard is near non-existent, so no compost.
April 14th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Congratulations, that is so awesome! I’m really happy that others outside of North America are going to get to enjoy the adventures of Victoria and the gang!
I don’t recycle as much as I need to. We are really good about recycling pop cans but beyond that we need some work. I wish our town had forced recycling like parts of Kansas City do as that would help with the whole motivational factor.